A Jedi, a Samurai and a Sith Walk into a Bar
by N7 Jam
Summary: Time lost its effect on Jack long ago - getting back to the past didn't change that. Now he's lived long enough to witness yet another future - but is it any better than what he endured under Aku?
1. First Encounters

Disclaimer: I have no claim to either Star Wars or Samurai Jack

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The weather was muggy and miserable, a condition considerably exacerbated by the cramped quarters and poor ventilation inside the dingy bar. A cloaked figure leaned against the bar top in the back, a forbidding scowl gracing their half-obscured face. Their drink sat untouched on the counter.

Clear blue eyes scanning the room for the umpteenth time, the figure swiped moodily at the sweat beading on their upper lip and seemed to scowl even harder, if that was possible.

"Obi-Wan. It's been five days and there's still no sign of any Sith," Anakin grumbled into his hidden commlink, absently tugging his hood further over his face.

"As always, Anakin, your powers of observation are astounding," Obi-Wan responded dryly over the comm.

"That's not what I meant and you know it, Master." Anakin glared out at the patrons for lack of a better target. "We've already wasted two weeks on this wild bantha chase with Ventress, plus another five days just sitting here waiting for something to happen. No way she's still here with how much she's been hopping around the system. We're wasting our time. We should be back on the front, where we're actually _needed_."

A longsuffering sigh crackled over the comm receiver. "Anakin, the Order is more than capable of compensating for our absence on the front," Obi-Wan pointed out with the tone of someone who'd said much the same several times over already. "I assure you, the other Jedi are just as capable as you or I."

"They're not half as likely to make the Council throw a fit over their stunts either," Rex piped up over the line unhelpfully.

Anakin pouted as Obi-Wan huffed a small laugh. "There's no rush, Anakin, the front isn't going anywhere. If the Sith think this quest of theirs is important enough to send one of their own haring off to Ciutric IV in the middle of a war, then it's in our best interest to sabotage them. This mission isn't a waste of our time – it just requires patience."

"Easy for you to say when you're all holed up with actual ventilation," Anakin griped sullenly.

"I'm sorry, would you like for me to switch out with you for today, Anakin?" Obi-Wan offered mildly, teasing. "It must be so tiring, sitting and drinking in a bar all day. I'd hate for you to exhaust yourself."

"Careful Obi-Wan, or I might actually take you up on that offer," Anakin warned as he began to nurse his depressingly lukewarm drink, idly filtering out the toxins to keep his mind clear.

"The horror," Obi-Wan responded dryly.

Anakin grumbled as he went back to listlessly inspecting the bar.

The main bartender and owner was a tan-skinned Barbadelan with a disarmingly friendly, gap-toothed grin. He was likely involved with one of the planetary crime syndicates, but was too far out of the main population centers to be anyone of importance. It was unlikely he was involved with their target. The location of the establishment didn't appear to have any relevance either. That just left the patrons.

There were two Twi'lek who'd come in together three out of the five days Anakin and the others had been observing the bar. They usually had grease and dirt streaking their clothes, and they were always loudly intoxicated within an hour of arriving. The green one had a nice laugh, if a bit loud. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

Humans were the most prevalent, with at least a dozen men and women scattered around the room. Most had plain brown or black hair, though there was one with light green and another with blue. A handful of Sullustans and Rodians were clustered at a table with two of the humans. Judging by the group's casually displayed weapons, they were either criminals or bounty hunters. Wonderful.

Honestly, Anakin had no idea just what Ventress thought she'd find in this miserable backwoods bar that would lead to the Siths' rumored Dark artifact of unfathomable power. But he wished she'd hurry up and _get on with it._

The Council couldn't even tell them what or where this Dark artifact was. Just that the Sith were _positive_ it existed and it would be disastrous should they get their hands on it. So Anakin and Obi-Wan were sent to track down and sabotage the Sith. Best case scenario, they capture or kill whoever was sent and possibly obtain a mysterious Dark artifact to study. Worst case scenario, well – same old, same old.

The locals they'd asked had placed Ventress around the bar not long before they'd first tracked her to this podunk shipping settlement. From what Anakin and Obi-Wan could gather, she'd been asking around looking for someone, and decided this bar was her best bet. She'd bribed some people to keep an eye on the place, probably inform her whenever her mystery source showed up too. Disappointingly, the Jedi had not been able to find said informants for further questioning or counter-bribing – but they had managed to bug the bar. Then they settled in to wait.

Hence, the five-day-running stakeout.

Anakin took petty comfort from the thought that Ventress was likely suffering from the wet heat as much as he was. At least, he hoped that was the case.

The Jedi sat a little straighter as the comms crackled to life. "General Skywalker, sir, we got activity at street-level," Echo announced promptly from his vantage point outside. "Ventress is heading your way and the crowd's thinning out quick. Something's up."

"Yeah it is, she brought friends," Fives added. "Clankers inbound, sir, looks like they're taking up position around the bar and along the nearby streets."

"Hold your positions and be ready to move on my signal," Obi-Wan ordered calmly.

Anakin saw a couple of the more situationally aware bar patrons make themselves scarce, but there were still enough oblivious drunks lingering to cover his presence. He was dismayed to notice his armed friends from a few tables down had also opted to stay. As a matter of fact, they were starting to look quite expectant, and moving to place themselves around the room. Looked like Ventress had hired the locals for more than just spying.

"Looks like Ventress bought some new friends at the bar," Anakin muttered over the comm.

"Roger that, sir," Echo acknowledged.

Then the woman of the hour herself was strolling into the bar, beelining straight for a lone human who'd been delicately sipping at some hot beverage for the past fifteen minutes or so. Anakin internally perked up – looked like they had their lead.

"The table at my ten o'clock, the far left. We got ears there?" Anakin murmured over the line, holding his drink in front of his mouth.

"Patching the audio feed to you now, sir," Rex confirmed.

In the meantime, Anakin took the opportunity to better examine Ventress' target. He wasn't much to look at, if Anakin was being honest.

Human, male, with straight black hair tied up at the back and a beard that looked like it needed a trim three months ago. He had dark eyes that tilted up at the corners and was wearing a pale, worn robe, cinched around the waist and cut in startlingly similar style to the standard Jedi uniform. His age was difficult to tell, but Anakin wouldn't put him at more than forty years or so, probably younger. Interestingly, his face didn't so much as twitch when Ventress sat down across from him, uninvited.

"You're a difficult man to find, Samurai." Anakin saw Ventress smile from across the room – it was not a pleasant expression.

"Yes," Samurai responded, and offered nothing more. He took a sip of his drink, watching the Sith calmly. Ventress sneered.

"I'm here to give you an offer, Samurai – one you won't be able to refuse." Even shielded and concealed as Anakin was keeping himself in the Force, he still shuddered as the Sith imposed her fury and menace over the room, a heavy miasma of hate. The patrons previously unaware to the imminent danger quieted and looked around the bar in trepidation. Still, Samurai didn't so much as flinch. Anakin found himself reluctantly impressed.

The man looked up at Ventress from beneath his brows, mouth downturned at the corner. He said nothing.

 _A man of few words - Ventress will love that_ , Anakin thought with some amusement.

The Sith apprentice bared her teeth and leaned toward Samurai, half-standing and bracing herself on the table as she loomed over him. "My master has a keen interest in the information you carry. Come quietly, and you won't be hurt…much. Or don't – I have several frustrations I'd like to take out on your hide. Personally - I'd prefer if you tried to struggle."

Still frowning lightly, Samurai sipped his drink. The man's expression was almost chastising.

Ventress snapped.

Even as the sizzle-snap of a lightsaber reached his ears, Samurai was throwing his drink in Ventress' face, flipping the table at her as she spluttered. The man threw himself back, drawing a vibrosword from his waist that had been blocked from Anakin's view.

"Well men, that's our cue," Obi-Wan said.

And the world erupted into pandemonium.

Anakin stood and leapt for Ventress, drawing his own lightsaber as people screamed and the Sith apprentice's mercenaries closed in on Samurai. He heard shots start to go off outside as he brought his blade down on Ventress. She spun around and blocked him, swiping a hand across her eyes. "Take Samurai alive!" she screamed and sent Anakin flying with a push.

He flipped and landed on his feet, neatly side-stepping a blaster-bolt and reflecting another with his blade. Ventress swung at him and Anakin ducked, his saber arcing toward her middle. She blocked with her second blade and swung for his neck with the first. Anakin dropped to the floor and kicked out at her feet. She stumbled and snarled as he threw her back with the Force.

"I'm hurt, Ventress – you forgot to invite me to the party," Anakin said with a glower as he got back to his feet.

"Not at all, Skywalker." Ventress spat his name like a curse. "Your exclusion was perfectly deliberate," she sneered.

They both turned at the sound of a crash and cursing. Anakin caught a glimpse of a pale robe as it disappeared out the door before Ventress was rushing for the entrance, completely ignoring his presence. Anakin followed and raised a brow at the bodies sprawled on the floor when he passed them. Looked like this Samurai had some skill.

He stepped outside and saw Ventress charging at Samurai's back. The man was busy fending off several droids who were attempting to disarm him. He struck them down one-by-one, but didn't notice Ventress bearing down on him.

"Behind you!" Anakin shouted, still pursuing the Sith.

Samurai grabbed the last droid and spun, throwing it into Ventress' swing as he jumped backward. The Sith cursed and advanced over the newly destroyed droid, her blades hissing as they came down on the man. Anakin grit his teeth – he was still too far away, and Samurai's vibrosword would be toast as soon as it touched Ventress' saber.

Samurai ducked and swayed around the Sith's strikes as Anakin drew closer, keeping his blade well out of reach of the blood-red saber. Then, between one blink and the next, Samurai's blade slipped through Ventress' guard and scored a bloody line over her hip. The hit surprised her enough that Anakin's next strike staggered her. Anakin locked eyes with Samurai, and the man gave him a small nod of understanding. Then they both moved in on Ventress, Anakin keeping her sabers occupied while Samurai kept pressure on her guard with quicksilver strikes too swift to block.

Even between the two of them, fighting Ventress was no easy task. Still, they were wearing her down, Samurai's blade visibly stained with her blood. She would not win.

Then the Force screamed in warning and a kriffing droid blasted Anakin in the back. Ventress lunged to disarm him with flick of her sabers. Horrified, he watched the hilt of his saber tumble through the air - then all he could see was Ventress. She was too close for Anakin to dodge as her blades bore down on his neck.

Kriff - Obi-Wan was gonna kill him for this.

Angry-hot sparks flew as a blood-stained sword blocked Ventress' swing. With practiced ease, Samurai redirected her blades to the side, immediately taking another swing and forcing her to jump back. Samurai moved to stand defensively between the Sith and Anakin, his blade held in an experienced and unfamiliar fighter's stance. Both of the Force users looked at the man in incomprehension.

"No mere vibrosword can block a lightsaber, Samurai. What trickery is this?" Ventress demanded, blood dripping from a small cut over her brow.

Samurai said nothing, and Anakin had the pleasure of seeing Ventress' eye actually twitch in rage.

Damn, but he liked this guy. Didn't hurt that he'd just saved Anakin's hide either - Anakin tended to appreciate things like that.

Shots continued to ring out up and down the street, but it was clear the fighting was winding down, and not in the droids' favor. Ventress was injured, outnumbered and Obi-Wan was walking up the street toward them, casually reflecting any blaster-bolts sent his way back at their shooters with his saber. They had her.

Ventress smiled, backing away with a smug smirk that didn't reach her eyes. Her rage burned in the Force.

Anakin reached with the Force for his lightsaber and Obi-Wan started running. A small, unmanned speeder arced down into the street and Ventress jumped on as it flew past her. Within seconds, she was just a small dot in the distance. Anakin grit his teeth at a powerful surge of frustration – _they'd had her_!

Anakin grudgingly drew the frustration in tight and released it into the Force. There'd be time for that later. Besides, they still had Samurai – Ventress had lost.

Obi-Wan pulled up beside them, eyeing Samurai with interest as the man tore off a part of his cloth sash and used it to quickly wipe down his blade. That done, Samurai straightened and drew the length of his sword along the opening of its scabbard before sheathing it. Anakin's master opened his mouth to say something, but Samurai just turned on his heel and headed back to the bar. Anakin didn't even try to smother a grin at the bewildered expression on Obi-Wan's face. Obi-Wan spoke up a they hurried after the man.

"Excuse me, Samurai? We would like to ask you some questions…" Obi-Wan trailed off as they got inside and saw Samurai hop over the counter and behind the bar.

"What are you doing?" Anakin asked, still amused.

Samurai mumbled something back, but neither Anakin nor his master understood it. "Come again?" Obi-Wan queried.

"I did not finish my drink," Samurai said as he returned to the counter with a steaming pot of…water? He filled a small cup from behind the counter and withdrew a small pouch from his robes. He added a pinch of something to the water, and the familiar scent of tea began to waft from it. Obi-Wan looked at the cup with sudden longing.

"Would you like some?" Samurai offered, clearly having noticed Obi-Wan's interest.

"If you don't mind," Obi-Wan accepted gracefully, as if he hadn't been staring at Samurai's drink like a sad and pitiable puppy. Anakin politely declined while giving his master a look for accepting a drink from a stranger with potential ties to the Sith. Obi-Wan cheerfully ignored him, patiently waiting for the tea to steep.

Anakin went to go in for the interrogation while Obi-Wan was preoccupied, but stopped at a stern glance from Samurai.

"You may ask your questions when I have finished my tea," the man informed him coolly. Anakin raised a brow but acquiesced. Obi-Wan hummed in agreement as he sipped his tea - he was practically radiating delight in the Force.

Anakin gave an internal sigh of exasperation and got up to give the two space while he contacted the clones. This could take a while.

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NOTES: Whether it's canonical or not, I'm pretending Japanese is a lost human language in Star Wars. Jack goes by the name Jack Samurai and no one knows the meaning of his last name anymore except himself. Our boys haven't heard his full name yet, so they're just calling him Samurai for now. That'll change next chapter

And for those of you that are gonna argue how a vibrosword _can_ block a lightsaber, I'm gonna leave a quote from Wookieepedia.

"A vibroblade could be fitted with cortosis-weave, allowing it to parry the blows of lightsabers and energy swords. The cortosis-weave became less common when the probability of fighting a lightsaber-wielding opponent decreased. By the time of the Galactic Civil War, knowledge of the cortosis-weave had faded, and the cortosis mineral itself had become exceedingly rare."

We're right at the GCW, so I'm just gonna assume that basically no one actively knows about this anymore. Yeah, the Jedi probably have record of it in their archives, but it's not relevant information right now so they wouldn't know unless they were a historian or had reason to go researching. Also, none of it applies to Jack's sword anyway, cuz magic.

If anyone has important info on star wars canon to offer me, I welcome it. Just don't get on my ass about it. Be civil.

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As always, many thanks to BeyondMyReach for being an amazing person and beta!


	2. Who are you again?

Anakin activated his comm, stepping out the door to get a better look at the streets. "Ventress did another runner, and the droids are cleared out in our sector. How's it going on your end, Rex?"

The Captain's response was prompt. "Nothing to worry about, sir. Just a couple stragglers left, sent a handful of men to take care of 'em. You got eyes on General Kenobi? Last I saw, he was heading in your direction."

Anakin slanted a glance back towards the bar. Both men were still there – still sipping their precious tea. Anakin didn't see the appeal. "Yeah, he's at the bar sharing a drink with Ventress' contact."

The Jedi could practically feel Rex's horrified alarm over the comm.

"Sir, tell me you didn't leave them there alone," the clone demanded, strained.

Anakin took pity on his captain's nerves. "No, Rex, I'm right outside – I've got eyes on them."

"Good. Stay with them – we're enroute to your location now. Rex out," the Captain said before addressing another. "Kix, with me, and keep the emergency detox kit on hand – just in case." Rex's voice faded until the comm winked out.

The clones made it in about two minutes, Rex in the lead. Jesse snorted when he got close enough to peer through the window of the bar. "Kriff, sir, I thought _you_ were the one we had to worry about pulling any laserbrained stunts like this."

Anakin's brows rose incredulously. "A word of advice - don't ever let anyone in the 212th hear you say that. The sheer irony would probably kill them." The Jedi turned to re-enter the bar, the clones dutifully falling into step behind him.

"Besides, Obi-Wan was my teacher – I had to get it from _somewhere._ " Anakin smirked at the alarm his statement prompted from some of the newer men. He couldn't see Rex's face through the helmet, but Anakin knew the clone was giving him the driest look possible. His captain always gave Anakin grief for messing with the 'shinies' – as if he wasn't guilty of the exact same kind of hazing whenever he ran his training drills or gave lectures.

Anakin couldn't help himself - he always took special joy in disabusing the newbies of Obi-Wan's serene and reasonable demeanor. At this point, he almost considered it a necessary right of passage in the 501st. Even knowing the more radical stunts Obi-Wan had pulled, Anakin was still occasionally taken in by his master's sensible façade. It was best his men knew the dangers of being taken in by that seemingly placid grin.

Rex signaled the men to take up positions around the bar while Anakin took a seat next to Obi-Wan and settled in to wait. Samurai kept his half-lidded gaze locked on his tea – Anakin assumed he was attempting to ignore the rest of them. Obi-Wan was doing the thing where he smiled with his eyes. The Jedi hummed happily as he continued to take measured sips of his drink. It was a good twenty minutes before either man was done. Anakin was about ready to crawl out of his skin with impatience.

He also really wanted a cup of caf now, but he'd deal with that later.

Since the tea was gone, Anakin figured it was time to start talking. There was something he'd been meaning to say, anyway.

"You know, Samurai, I never did thank you for saving my life earlier. So, uh – thanks…for that." Anakin rubbed a hand over the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Jack," Samurai said.

"…Sorry, what?" Anakin asked, completely nonplussed.

"My name is Jack," he enunciated, hands wrapped carefully around his empty cup.

"But I thought Ventress called you Samurai?" Obi-Wan's question trailed off pointedly.

"My _full name_ is Jack Samurai," Jack explained curtly.

Anakin found he had enjoyed the man's abrupt speech much more when it was pointed at Ventress.

"Well then, thank you, _Jack_ – for saving my life." Anakin reiterated. Beside him, Obi-Wan seemed mildly pained at Anakin's clumsy attempts to coerce Jack into conversation. Anakin scowled internally – at least he hadn't wasted almost half an hour just _drinking tea_.

Jack gave a small nod of acknowledgement, meeting Anakin's gaze with fierce dark eyes. Seconds later, a presence in the Force was bearing down on him, drowning him in an endless sea of light as he stood at the base of a gleaming castle towering over him, and he was safe, nothing could touch them here and _they would be protected_ –

" _Anakin_!" Obi-Wan snapped as he jostled Anakin's shoulder, frowning in concern. Anakin looked at his master in a daze.

"Anakin, are you okay?" Obi-Wan asked insistently, peering into Anakin's eyes as he brushed against his presence in the Force, examining him for any damage not immediately visible. Ah hell, even Jack looked vaguely worried now.

"Yeah, sorry," Anakin managed to get out, "spaced out a second there – I'm good."

Anakin's mind reached out to Obi-Wan's. _I'll tell you later_ , he promised mentally.

 _I should hope so_ , Obi-Wan chided, inner tone slightly alarmed though outwardly he gave a calm nod and released Anakin. He even waved off a twitchy Kix, who looked about three seconds away from storming over and giving Anakin a full physical. Anakin shot Obi-Wan a grateful look, but the Jedi had already turned his attention back to Jack; however, his Force presence remained a steadfast and watchful entity around Anakin.

"Anyway – where were we again?" Anakin asked, brains still slightly scrambled.

"You were thanking the man for saving your life because you let yourself get hit by a droid," Obi-Wan reminded him, brow raised judgingly.

Anakin heard the soft sounds of armor clinking and bodies shuffling around the room. The clones definitely heard that. _E chu ta_ – his men would never let him hear the end of this now. What self-respecting Jedi let themselves get hit by a kriffing droid? Jesse and Rex were going to be insufferable…

"Yes. That," Anakin responded blandly. "But that's not all we're here for, obviously."

"We'd like to ask you a few questions regarding Ventress – Asajj Ventress. The woman who confronted you earlier," Obi-Wan clarified. His master even called up her image on his comm for Jack to look at.

Jack glanced over the holo and stared them down. Geez – a rock would be a chatterbox compared to this guy.

"You may ask," Jack said evenly.

Anakin huffed in quiet exasperation while Obi-Wan took up the questioning. "Have you ever met or been contacted by Ventress before today?"

"No."

"Were you aware that she'd been tracking you?" Anakin inquired.

"Yes," Jack confirmed, face unreadable.

"Do you know why she was looking for you?" Anakin asked intently.

"Possibly," Jack hedged. Anakin waited a moment for the man to elaborate. Jack said nothing more, staring back at Anakin patiently. Anakin didn't know why he'd expected any different.

"Would you share your theory as to why Ventress was looking for you?" Obi-Wan queried, hand stroking his beard thoughtfully.

"No," Jack said, uncompromising. Obi-Wan leaned back in his seat, brows lifted in surprise.

"No?" Anakin echoed, incredulous.

"No," Jack agreed, unmoved.

The Jedi stared at him, Anakin in disbelief and Obi-Wan bemused.

"Perhaps we could share why we think Ventress is after you instead?" Obi-Wan offered, shrewdly contemplative. "She was tasked by her master to locate something – a Dark artifact of unimaginable power. Possibly an ancient weapon of some kind – not something you'd want to fall into the wrong hands. And for some reason she's decided that you're her best bet to find said artifact."

Jack's dark eyes slowly narrowed into slits.

"Does that story sound familiar to you, Jack?" Obi-Wan pressed, bright gaze intent on his target.

"…She is not the only one after it, then," Jack murmured, eyes glinting with something terrible.

Anakin almost flinched at the raw, red-hot anger suddenly burning through the Force. Obi-Wan tensed beside him, mouth tight at the overwhelming surge of screaming emotion emanating from the quiet man. It wasn't Sith-levels of hate - Jack didn't have any Force ability at all so far as Anakin could tell - but it was too karking close for comfort. Anakin was half-ready for Jack to go for their throats when the old rage and anger dissipated nearly as quickly as it'd come, leaving only embers in its wake. He could almost physically _see_ the emotion draining out of Jack, see the weight of grief and exhaustion pushing down on his proud shoulders, see his eyes go flat and blank.

 _Kriffing hell_ , Anakin thought faintly.

Jack closed his eyes and sighed heavily. He set his gaze back on the Jedi, a terrible knowledge in his tired dark eyes.

"And you know of it too now – this…terrible, _evil_ thing." Jack's lip curled in a half-snarl before going flat and unreadable again.

"So you _do_ know about the artifact – and you know where it is too, don't you? You know what it is." Obi-Wan said quietly.

"…Yes," Jack admitted gravely.

"What is it? What does it do?" Anakin asked cautiously.

"You need to tell us how to find it – we can't let it fall into the hands of the Sith. The Jedi will keep it safe," Obi-Wan insisted urgently.

"No."

Anakin's simmering frustration and unease spiked. "Look, Jack, I dunno if you're really getting the severity of the situation here. The Sith want this artifact of yours and they're not gonna give up after one failed attempt. Do you want them to get their hands on it?"

"They won't stop hunting you, if they think you can lead them to it," Obi-Wan interjected grimly. "Eventually, they'd catch you – torture you. They'd rip the information from your mind. We've seen their victims – you don't want that, Jack."

Jack's gaze was pitying. "No." He straightened his shoulders, stared them down resolutely. "It is _you_ who does not understand the folly of what you ask. I will not help you in this – nor the Sith. Do not ask it of me again. My answer will remain unchanged."

Obi-Wan sat back, hand on his chin as he examined Jack with a thoughtful frown.

 _My, but he's a stubborn one_ , Obi-Wan pushed the thought at Anakin, tone equal parts admiring and frustrated.

 _No kidding_ , Anakin shot back, irritated.

 _If he won't tell us…we can't just let him go_ , Obi-Wan pointed out regretfully.

… _I know_ , Anakin admitted wretchedly. He did not want to be forced to take in the man who'd just saved his life. _Just – gimme a minute. Maybe there's another option here._

 _Just ask him to come with us,_ Obi-Wan sent, tone the approximation of a shrug.

His master sent out a pulse of warm reassurance and support. Anakin squared his shoulders and turned back to Jack.

"Alright, fine. Don't tell us. But let the Jedi protect you – come with us," Anakin argued fervently. "The Sith won't be able to get to you so long as you're with us. Your artifact will stay safe. Everyone wins - I mean, everyone except the Sith, obviously. But that's good, right?" Anakin stopped himself, shutting his mouth with a clack. He was going to start rambling if he let himself continue.

Jack's expression didn't change. Sweat began to bead on the back of Anakin's neck. _Why was everything suddenly so kriffing tense_?

"You will not seek out the artifact?" Jack watched them carefully.

"We will not – as long as you are with us," Obi-Wan confirmed with a nod.

For a moment Anakin thought he was seeing things, but no. Jack's mouth was indeed spreading in a small, close-lipped smile.

Jack dipped his head. "Only a fool would turn down such a generous offer. I accept."

A relieved grin broke out over Anakin's face, and he reached over the table to clasp Jack's hand in a firm, two-handed shake. "We'll keep you safe, Jack. You have my word as a Jedi."

"…Yes. Thank you. Ah…Forgive my rudeness, but what are your names?" Jack's expression was quietly embarrassed. Anakin, in the meanwhile, was stuck trying to process the absurdity of the question. It seemed like everyone and their mother had heard of 'the Hero With No Fear' or 'the Negotiator' by now. Had Jack been living under a rock?

Jack looked to Anakin. "I believe I caught yours earlier but…" he trailed off, shooting a mildly apologetic look at Anakin's master.

Obi-Wan's face had gone politely stoic in the way that it did when he was internally calling someone ten different kinds of idiot – likely himself, this time. What kind of diplomat forgot basic introductions? Anakin was just relieved not to have Obi-Wan's ire directed his way for once.

"There's nothing to forgive, Jack. I'm afraid introductions completely slipped my mind earlier - my sincerest apologies. I am Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, General of the 212th Battalion of the Grand Army of the Republic." Obi-Wan glared at Anakin pointedly.

"…Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker – also a General," Anakin added sheepishly.

Once again, that small grin crept over Jack's face. It was weirdly endearing.

"I look forward to working with you," Jack said genially.

* * *

NOTES: Jack's been around for a while - even if he's not personally involved with them, he is familiar with both the Jedi and the Sith. He spent some time studying the various sects of Force users a while ago.

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As always, many thanks to BeyondMyReach for being an amazing person and beta!


	3. Report

Ahsoka moved briskly through the halls of the _Resolute_ , consciously forcing her stride to slow when she almost broke into an eager jog. Her masters had returned – finally!

She was still torn between being thrilled or irritated by Anakin's decision; on the one hand, Skyguy had trusted her enough to leave her in charge of the 501st indefinitely. Not by herself, thankfully – Ahsoka wasn't sure she could've handled that kind of responsibility without the help of Appo and Admiral Yularen. But on the other hand, Skyguy also left her behind and how was she supposed to look out for her crazy master or grandmaster _if she wasn't there_? _Huh, Skyguy_?

Master Obi-Wan had commed them just yesterday with an obnoxiously cheerful, "Mission success," and reported that their squad should be back today. He hadn't given any other details, of course. More than likely, he was waiting to debrief all of the relevant parties in the _Resolute's_ CIC once he got back. Ahsoka was heading there to intercept them now; she'd sensed her masters' presences enter the ship not ten minutes ago. And if she knew Skyguy, it was sure to be a helluva report – doubly so since Master Obi-Wan had been there too. She wouldn't miss it for anything.

For the most part though? She just missed everyone.

The doors whooshed open softly as she strode into the CIC. Sure enough, her masters were there, loitering around the holotable as they waited for the call recipients to join in. Master Obi-Wan had a look of intense contemplation on his face as he absentmindedly stroked his beard. Even more worriedly, Skyguy had that furrow between his brows he only got when he was 'problem-solving'. She'd have to keep an eye on that, try and head off any of his more suicidal schemes. His expression smoothed out into a cheeky grin when he finally noticed her presence.

"Hey there, Snips! Glad to see the _Resolute's_ still in one piece. Wasn't sure what to expect when we got back, knowing you," Anakin teased with a smirk. He clapped her on the shoulder as she spluttered indignantly beside him.

Master Obi-Wan covered his mouth with a snort, eyes twinkling. "Anakin," Obi-Wan scolded, mouth twitching upwards in a small smile, "you are the very last person who should be criticizing _anyone_ about the state of their ship. After all, you've crashed how many vessels in the last six months?"

Ahsoka bit her lip to keep from laughing as she watched Skyguy's neck flush dull red. "Good to see you too, Skyguy. I don't even remember why I thought I missed you," she said dryly.

Anakin put a hand over his heart, expression mock-chiding. "Ahsoka! How could you say that to your favorite master? I thought we had a bond!"

Ahsoka shoved at his arm with a laugh, ducking under the resulting grab and putting Master Obi-Wan between them. Skyguy stilled at a reprimanding glance from the bearded Jedi.

"If the children could settle down, please," Obi-Wan drawled, his eyes sliding to Ahsoka also. She grinned sheepishly. "It looks like everyone is here now. I'm starting the call. _Try_ to behave."

The middle of the holotable lit up bright blue as three figures took form across from them. Ahsoka stood straighter, expression smoothed out to neutral as her masters greeted Masters Yoda and Windu as well as the Chancellor.

Master Windu didn't waste any time getting to business, demanding, "Did you find anything about the artifact?"

Obi-Wan frowned, arms crossed. "Some, though not as much as I'd like."

Ahsoka stared at her masters expectantly. Obi-Wan was infamous for his tendency toward understatement. 'Not much' could mean almost anything.

"We still don't know what the Sith artifact is, or where it's located," Anakin cut in, "but we have a potential lead. The Sith were after a man named Jack Samurai. We intercepted Ventress on Ciutric IV and secured Jack. He claims familiarity with the artifact, but refused to disclose any further information."

Ahsoka clamped down on her building anticipation. From what she'd understood, the Sith knew about as much about their artifact as the Jedi – almost nothing. But if the Jedi had actually located a source who could fill in some blanks…

The witch was gonna be pissed. Ahsoka grinned toothily.

Master Yoda hummed, considering. "Certain you are, Samurai knows of what we seek?"

"Ventress certainly seemed to think so," Obi-Wan retorted. "And I doubt Jack would feel so strongly about something he didn't know. He was quite…distraught when he realized what we were looking for."

"That's one way to put it," Anakin muttered with a grimace.

Ahsoka glanced at Skyguy with a raised brow. He met her eyes and shook his head slightly before turning his attention back to the Council.

There was definitely a story there. Ahsoka reminded herself to bully it out of Skyguy later.

Master Windu frowned. "If you couldn't get anything out of Samurai, I assume you took him into custody? We cannot allow the Sith another chance to get their hands on him if there's a chance he knows anything."

"Yes, yes, he came with us willingly," Obi-Wan confirmed, waving aside their concerns with a gesture. "Captain Rex is escorting Jack to a set of guest quarters aboard the _Resolute_ as we speak. We'll bring him to the Temple – it'll give us a chance to establish a friendly rapport to gain more information and keep him away from the Sith."

Ahsoka blinked, startled. It wasn't often they encountered people on missions who warranted guest quarters as opposed to the brig. Especially not when it involved the Sith. Ahsoka suppressed her excitement – she was definitely gonna have to meet this Samurai guy, if only to satisfy her curiosity.

Ahsoka's glee soured slightly when the Chancellor's expression grew concerned – she was maybe still holding a grudge against him from the time he'd reprimanded her in front of the Council. "General Kenobi, are we certain it's safe to bring this man to the heart of the Republic? We don't yet know anything about Samurai except that we found him within the Confederacy. How can we be certain he's not with the Separatists, that he isn't a threat?" the Chancellor questioned.

Ahsoka barely kept herself from pouting, annoyed by the man's semi-reasonable concerns.

"Frankly, Chancellor, we should be more concerned that this man supposedly has intimate knowledge of a powerful Sith artifact," Master Windu pointed out. "Knowing that, it seems unlikely Samurai wouldn't have some connection to the dark side of the Force."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "As far as we can tell, the man is almost completely Force-null. Though I can't say for certain he has no connection to any Darksiders."

"I doubt Jack holds any particular loyalty to the Separatists though, considering he saved my life," Anakin defended. "Ventress would've had my head if he hadn't stepped in."

Ahsoka's heart sped up as she grit her teeth – this was exactly why she hadn't wanted Anakin to go off without her! Where had everyone else been? Hadn't anyone been watching her master's back? He was a kriffing reckless stupa, you couldn't leave him unattended! The 501st and Obi-Wan especially should've known that.

Ahsoka studiously ignored the fact that the Sith witch regularly bested her whenever they crossed blades. _Ahsoka still could've helped_.

The Chancellor shot a look of surprised concern at Anakin while Master Yoda scrutinized him. The Grandmaster spoke thoughtfully, "Mhmm. Protective of Samurai, you sound. Made an impression on you, he has."

Ahsoka could tell her Master was restraining himself from fidgeting under Master Yoda's attention. "…Yes. He did. Jack seems a decent man – no, maybe honorable is more accurate. He has a very distinct…aura about him. I felt something in the Force, when we talked. It didn't really make any sense. But I don't think Jack is our enemy – at his core, the man is a protector."

Obi-Wan shot an appraising glance at Anakin before turning his attention back to the councilors. "He also possesses some skill with a sword and excellent taste in tea," Obi-Wan tacked on glibly.

What was it with Master Obi-Wan and his tea?

Yoda's eyes narrowed as he rapped his gimer stick on the ground with finality. Ahsoka couldn't stand more at attention if she tried. "Hmph. Too much we don't know, there is. Clouded is the Force. Best to keep Samurai close for now. Watch him carefully, we will."

"Yes, Master," Ahsoka and the other Jedi echoed.

"Council, out," Master Windu said. The holotable went dark. Ahsoka turned on Anakin with a glare.

"'Ventress would've had my head?'" Ahsoka parroted incredulously. "Skyguy, what did you _do_?"

"Why do you always assume it's something _I_ did?" Anakin retorted, offended.

"He let himself get shot in the back by a droid while fighting our dear Ventress," Obi-Wan ratted him out unrepentantly.

"A droid? Skyguy, are you serious? Have you at least gotten looked at by medical?" Ahsoka exclaimed, hands on her hips as she scowled at her Master in disapproval.

"Thanks, Obi-Wan," Anakan drawled in irritation. Obi-Wan raised a brow in judgment, which he stubbornly ignored. "I didn't need to go to medical, Ahsoka, because my armor took most of the blast. But it also made me stumble and Ventress was right there to take advantage." Anakin grumbled at her.

Ahsoka crossed her arms, leaning her weight one hip. "And you said Jack helped you?"

Anakin rolled his shoulders, uncomfortable. "Yeah. He deflected the killing blow. Still don't know how his vibroblade didn't turn into a slagheap of molten junk after that."

Obi-Wan's brow furrowed. "Yes, I'd been wondering that myself. Another mystery to add to the mess."

"Wait, wait, wait – you're telling me a Force-null fought Ventress with a _blade_ and _lived_?" Ahsoka demanded, aghast.

"I did mention he had some skill as a swordsman," Obi-Wan reminded her, eyes crinkled in amusement.

"Yeah, but there's a difference between being a decent swordsman and holding your own against a Sith!" Ahsoka exclaimed. "I think I wanna meet this guy."

Master Obi-Wan's expression became shrewdly contemplative as he returned his attention to Skyguy. "Unconventional swordsmanship aside, I'm a bit more interested in the vision you had, Anakin. It hit you quite strongly at the time – surely you experienced more than a bit of emotional overflow and gibberish."

Anakin met Master Obi-Wan's gaze, expression strained. "There was…something. I don't really know what to make of it."

Obi-Wan cocked a brow.

Skyguy took a breath. "I saw a gleaming castle – not like the palace on Naboo. It was old, but pristine. An ancient ruin in its prime. Its shadow covered the world, and I stood right at the heart of it. It felt…safe. _I_ felt safe." Skyguy looked oddly perturbed as he admitted that.

Brow furrowing, Obi-Wan brought a hand to his chin. He scrubbed at his beard thoughtfully. "…I've heard vaguer," Obi-Wan offered dubiously.

Ahsoka smothered a snort. Skyguy's description made about as much sense as Master Yoda at his cagiest. Still, as far as Force visions went, this one sounded especially useless.

"Real helpful, Obi-Wan," Anakin griped, echoing her sentiment.

Ahsoka decided to intervene before Obi-Wan had the chance to start on an in-depth lecture on 'the importance of Force visions'. "You two can talk visions later – I wanna meet this Jack guy, now. Come on, let's go!"

"Ahsoka - " Anakin groaned, shooting Obi-Wan a beseeching look.

Obi-Wan shrugged. "I wanted to head to Jack's quarters and explain the situation to him anyway. Come along – your vision will keep and I'm sure we all have much to discuss with our new friend."

* * *

The Jedi were greeted at Jack's door by two of the 501st standing guard. The door opened with a soft whoosh to reveal a perplexing scene.

Fives and Echo were sat on the floor across from Jack, Echo watching avidly as his brother and Jack went about cleaning their respective weapons. One of Fives' blasters sat in precisely placed pieces in front of him as he went about meticulously checking and cleaning each part with a small thin brush, cloth and lubricant. Jack was surrounded by several materials and tools and had his bare blade held in front of him, hilt resting on the floor and tip pointed toward the ceiling. The cutting edge was pointed away from him, and he appeared to be holding some kind of thin paper folded over the back of the blade which he pinched in place near the sharp edge. Starting from the base, he smoothly wiped along the length of the blade and repeated the motion, looking almost meditative as he went.

Echo noticed their audience first, quickly shooting to his feet with a greeting of, "Generals, Commander," and offering the Jedi a brisk salute. Fives had looked up at the interruption and frozen, eyes wide and pieces of his blaster clutched in his hands. Ahsoka had to cover her mouth to hide her grin – it wasn't often she caught any of the clones looking so completely off-balance.

The dark-haired man, and this had to be Jack, didn't react at all except to flick a slow glance upward before returning his attention back to his sword.

"At ease, men," Skyguy said, equal parts amused and bewildered. Ahsoka understood – she didn't think she'd ever caught the clones interacting so casually outside of their brothers or the Jedi either.

The clones slowly relaxed their tense postures, though Echo remained standing and neither took their eyes off of the Jedi.

"Do you mind if we join you?" Obi-Wan asked, mouth twitching with suppressed delight. The clones looked like they were having a collective aneurism from stress and embarrassment.

"No. Please, sit," Jack said calmly as he continued to tend to his sword. Ahsoka looked on curiously as she took a seat next to Skyguy, absently tugging Echo's arm so that he sat back down too. Essentially dismissed, Fives went back to cleaning his blaster.

Ahsoka tapped her fingers along the length of her saber hilt thoughtfully as she eyed Jack. Lightsaber maintenance was similar to cleaning a blaster. It had to be taken to pieces so each one could be inspected and cleaned individually. She was pretty sure the same applied to vibroblades – but now that she could take a look herself, she was pretty sure Jack's weapon wasn't a vibroblade at all. There were no attachments, no visible upgrades – it was all a single piece.

Did this laserbrain honestly fight with a normal sword? Did anyone even still make those anymore? _E chu ta_ – where did Skyguy keep finding these maniacs?

More importantly, how the hell hadn't it been cut into pieces by the witch?

Master Obi-Wan must've been thinking along the same lines as Ahsoka. "I must say, Jack, I didn't get the chance to properly examine your sword before – it's quite striking."

Ahsoka wrinkled her nose and saw Skyguy looking distinctly pained. The clones just looked somewhere between ruefully amused and resigned. Ahsoka sympathized; it was always gross watching her grandmaster flirt. At least it wasn't with the witch this time – Ahsoka was still traumatized from that.

Nothing outwardly changed, but Jack's expression seemed to brighten, somehow, at Obi-Wan's words. A fond smile curled his mouth.

"It was forged of my father and passed on to me when I came of age. It is my most treasured possession. I am glad that you can appreciate its craftsmanship." Jack shot a pleased, close-mouthed smile at her grandmaster as he put down the paper he'd been using to wipe down the sword. Obi-Wan looked mildly nonplussed.

Jack turned and picked up a piece of thin cloth which he dipped in a clear liquid contained off to the side. It smelled strongly of alcohol. He resumed wiping along the length of his blade.

"Might I ask the name of the young one accompanying you?" Jack asked, eyes still crinkled with happiness at the corners.

Okay, Ahsoka took issue with that. "Hey! I'm not a kid! And the name's Ahsoka Tano – Jedi Padawan and _Commander_."

Jack's hand stilled on his blade briefly, the lines of his face smoothing out into something solemn. He gave her a weighted apologetic look. "Of course, Commander Ahsoka – my apologies for the mistake. I am Jack Samurai – it is nice to meet you."

Ahsoka crossed her arms with a huff. "Sure thing, right back at ya. Did you really stop a lightsaber with that thing?" She stared at his sword doubtfully.

"Yes," Jack confirmed curtly, still wiping down the blade.

Yikes. That was a response worthy of Ahsoka's own nickname.

"It's true, Ahsoka. I saw it with my own eyes. And I still have no idea how you did that," Anakin admitted to Jack, appraising the sword curiously. "Pretty sure that isn't a vibroblade either, which is even more confusing."

"No, it is not," Jack agreed without elaborating further.

Ahsoka was starting to understand why her masters hadn't gotten any useful information out of the man.

Skyguy gave an exasperated sigh, sharing a rueful glance with Obi-Wan.

"Well, whatever it is, it sounds damned useful," Fives spoke up as he started piecing his blaster back together. "Could use a weapon or shield that could block a saber strike." Echo nodded in agreement, eyeing Jack's blade longingly.

Jack hummed in agreement as he carefully examined his sword. He set aside the soaked cloth and instead picked up a fluffy pad which he dabbed in a light colored powder and began gently applying to the blade with soft practiced pats.

Obi-Wan finally jumped back in to the conversation. "Although I would very much appreciate the opportunity to better examine your sword at a later date," Ahsoka almost gagged, "I'm afraid we're here to discuss business at the moment."

"Another time then," Jack accepted the offer with a small smile. Ahsoka was pretty sure he meant it too, and not even in the vaguely flirty way her grandmaster did. "What did you wish to discuss?"

Obi-Wan took on a slightly more serious demeanor. "We've contacted the Jedi High Council regarding your circumstances. They've agreed to house you within the Jedi Temple until such a time as the Sith are no longer looking for you or extenuating circumstances arise. I wanted to let you know that we'll be charting a course for Coruscant soon and to expect to arrive within the day."

Jack's brows furrowed as he finally set his sword across his lap and gave them his full attention. "The Jedi Temple," he repeated quizzically.

"Yes," Obi-Wan nodded, eyeing Jack cautiously. Her grandmaster always hated it when people didn't react how he expected. "We determined it would be the safest place to put you. There are very few with either the daring or skill to attempt anything within the heart of the Republic – especially under the watch of the Jedi. You will be safe there."

Now Jack chuckled – at least, Ahsoka thought he did. It was more a loud huff of air than anything.

"I apologize – I believe there has been a misunderstanding between us," Jack announced, mildly chagrined.

"Oh?" Master Obi-Wan prompted.

Jack nodded. "I agreed to accompany _you_ under the protection of the Jedi – not to be kept in your Temple."

 _Oh boy_ , Ahsoka thought, _here we go_.

"Jack, did you miss the part where we're in the middle of a galactic war?" Anakin asked faintly. "You can't stay with us – we're right in the thick of the fighting. The Jedi Temple is _safe_. And there will be plenty of capable Jedi there to watch over you."

Jack scoffed. "I did not come with you to be safe. I came to keep you from foolishly pursuing the artifact and to help you hunt down the Sith."

The room sat in stunned silence.

Jack raised a judgmental brow. "The Sith were clear in their choice to pursue the artifact; therefore, it is my duty to stop them. You are enemies of the Sith and actively seeking them out. Joining you was the obvious choice."

Ahsoka settled in for the long haul as Skyguy put his head in his hands and Master Obi-Wan put on his 'Negotiator' face. They weren't gonna be leaving anytime soon.

* * *

NOTES: Yeah, half of this chapter just turned into Jack cleaning his sword. And I don't even mean that as a euphemism.

CIC = Combat Information Center

* * *

RECIPE: Bomb Ass Buffalo Wing Dip

INGREDIENTS: 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 cup Ranch dressing, 2 blocks cream cheese (8 oz. each), 1 ½ cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce, 1 bag shredded Monterey Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 F

Boil chicken until cooked through, cut into smaller pieces and shred by hand.

Thoroughly mix Ranch, cream cheese and hot sauce together (cut cream cheese into chunks as you add it into the mixing bowl).

Stir in shredded chicken.

Pour into a baking dish and smooth evenly. Cover the surface with a layer of shredded cheese.

Leave in oven until bubbly around the edges (approximately 20 minutes).

* * *

As always, many thanks to BeyondMyReach for being an amazing person and beta!


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